wats:ON? Festival

The event brings to campus an art exhibition by renowned artist Hadi Tabatabai and performance art titled “Body Drift.” CMU’s Miller Gallery is hosting Tabatabai’s work in an exhibition titled “Transitional Spaces,” through Nov. 12. An original work — the largest piece Tabatabai has created — also titled “Transitional Spaces,” is now installed in the College of Fine Arts’ Great Hall. It features several large panels with intricate threadwork that Tabatabai painstakingly made by hand to create an indeterminate sense of space.

An opening reception for the installation of “Transitional Spaces” will be held at 5 p.m. Nov. 2, followed by a talk by Tabatabai at 6 p.m. in Kresge Theater. The installation will run through Dec. 2.

“Body Drift” is an immersive audiovisual performance by Jakob Marsico and Chris Carlson that uses video-driven animation and multichannel sound to examine the subtle shifts that take place in the development and degradation of sensory perception. The performance mirrors human growth and evolution, involving performers of various ages. Three large screens feature an audio-visual experience that surrounds the audience and the presentation differs every time.

A 6:30 p.m. reception in CFA’s Great Hall on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 3 and 4, will be followed by the presentation at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge Theatre. Immediately afterwards, Marsico and Carlson will host an informal master class for anyone who has an interest in learning more about the technologies behind “Body Drift.”